Ghostbusters Director Paul Feig Explains How He Pulled Out "the Heavy Guns" Casting the Reboot

Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones are "the people who make me cry with laughter," he tells Ellen DeGeneres

By Rebecca Macatee Mar 03, 2016 7:00 PMTags

Paul Feig knew it would be a huge undertaking directing the Ghostbusters movie reboot, and it was up to him to assemble a top-notch cast.

Fortunately, as we saw from the first Ghostbusters trailer, Feig didn't let anyone down. But how did he ultimately decide that Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones would be perfect for their parts? As Feig told Ellen DeGeneres, he called up these ladies because they're "the people who make me cry with laughter."

Paul Feig/Twitter

"I'm privileged i get to work with the funniest women on the planet—including yourself," said Feig, who directed a 2014 Oscars commercial with DeGeneres and has worked with McCarthy and Wiig on numerous films including Bridesmaids, Spy and The Heat. "When I was putting this [movie] together, I just said, I have lists of people who make me laugh, and I have one list that's the people who make me cry with laughter..."

"So I thought, I'm doing Ghosbusters," Feig said. "I've gotta pull out the heavy guns, so these four women are just so funny and it's really an honor."

Watch the video above for more from Feig on the Ghosbusters reboot, and then, check out the clip below to see what Melissa McCarthy had to say about working with an often-shirtless Chris Hemsworth on the film!

Watch: Melissa McCarthy Talks Shirtless Chris Hemsworth